14 February 2011

The warm season is almost here and not a moment too soon. Bring it on! The creeping months before summer make me think of pretty lithe girls in light dresses and sparkling cocktails in the sunshine. As events coordinator for a non-profit I have already been tasked with organising a garden party or two this summer, and have been invited to a weekend in San Francisco to socialise with fellow bankers and international Tweedmen. What to wear? It is time to drag summer sport coats out of storage. Due to my sartorial house-cleaning over the last two years, however, I find I have just one lightweight sport coat left, a tan linen number from Kevin's in Georgia. So I am in the market for a couple of new ones. One of my first summer suits was a blue pincord combo from Darien Sport Shop that saw me through a few summers in NYC and Connecticut in the early 1990s. But I do not want to go back there. Seersucker suits, of course, are ludicrous and Southern, but a seersucker odd jacket in a more muted colour might be appropriate. Those old standbys J.Press and Brooks Brothers offer a variety of summer sport coats well worth consideration. Whether the objective is to flatter your way into a better job or flirt your way into a delicious pair of hot panties, the summer cocktail party circuit is a chance to try out more dashing ensembles. But keep the tone down. Wearing the wrong jacket to cocktail events is like attending a pool party on Viagra, so make sure you get it right.